The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name White Queen.
The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. The objective of the program is to create and develop new Anthurium cultivars that have a freely clumping growth habit, durable leaves and spathes, strong roots, attractive spathe color, and good post-production longevity.
The new Anthurium originated from a cross by the Inventor in July, 1995 of the Inventor""s proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 92-3 as the female, or seed, parent with the Inventor""s proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 0023 as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar White Queen was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands in April, 1997.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar of tissue culture of meristem tips in a laboratory in Belgium has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar White Queen. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98White Queenxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely clumping growth habit.
3. Durable dark green glossy leaves.
4. Strong root system.
5. White-colored spathes that are positioned upright and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes.
6. Good post-production longevity.
The new Anthurium can be compared to the female parent, the Inventor""s proprietary selection code number 92-3. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of selection code number 92-3 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium are more outwardly spreading and more freely clumping than plants of the selection code number 92-3.
2. Plants of the new Anthuirium have smaller leaves than plants of the selection code number 92-3.
3. Spathe color of the new Anthurium is white whereas spathe color of the selection code number 92-3 is pink.
4. Spathes of the new Anthurium are closer to the foliage than spathes of the selection code number 92-3.
The new Anthurium can be compared to the male parent, the Inventor""s proprietary selection code number 0023. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of selection code number 0023 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium are larger and not as compact as plants of the selection code number 0023.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium are faster growing than plants of the selection code number 0023.
3. Plants of the new Anthurium have much larger spathes with longer spadices than plants of the selection code number 0023.
The new Anthurium can be compared to the Anthurium cultivar Cleopatra, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,456. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of the cultivar Cleopatra in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium have smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Cleopatra.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium have flatter spathes than plants of the cultivar Cleopatra.
3. Spadices of the new Anthurium are weakly recurved whereas spadices of the cultivar Cleopatra are straight.
4. Spadices of the new Anthurium have yellow-colored apices whereas spadices of the cultivar Cleopatra have red-colored apices.